Holistic Health At Work: Getting On Your (Vagus) Nerves
In the last blog post, we identified that our stress does not only come from psycho-emotional pressure, but also from physical stressors. In today’s post we are going to develop a deeper understanding of our body’s relaxation response system: what are the symptoms of it being weak, how to test it and steps you can take to improve it.
What Happens In Vagus…Effects The Whole Body
The vagus nerve runs from our brain, down our neck, all the way to our digestive system, and connects to multiple organs along the way. The vagus nerve is the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for 75% of the body’s relaxation response. When our parasympathetic nervous system is activated, we are in a state of “rest and digest”. This is the state where we are calm, present, compassionate and grounded.
From a health perspective, our body is only able to heal when it is in a relaxed state. In this state, our body repairs its cells, digests food, absorbs nutrients and produces hormones. For example, if you are regularly working out but have an inability to relax, your muscles will struggle to repair themselves and you will be more prone to injury. If fat loss is your goal, you will also have a harder time losing weight without an adequate vagal tone.
Vagal tone is a term which refers to your body’s ability to adapt after stress. The stronger the vagal tone, the more easily our body can return to a relaxed state after encountering a stressor. Some of the symptoms of having poor vagal tone are:
- Memory issues
- Constipation
- Indigestion and acid reflux
- Imbalanced hormones
- Poor sleep
- Easily startled
If you are wanting to have a more stable mood, think more logically, be more grounded and present or to improve your digestion, sleep and balance your hormones; strengthening your vagal tone is critical.
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How To Test Your Vagal Tone
Here is a quick way to test if your body has strong vagal tone, and can quickly relax after encountering a stressor. It’s easiest to do this test with a partner.
Uvula Test:
You are going to open your mouth wide. You want to ensure you can see your uvula and your soft palate at the back of your throat. You may need a tongue depressor or flashlight for this.
Then, you are going to repeat the sound “aaahh” three to five times.
The observer will look at the uvula to see if there’s deviation to one side or if it moves up symmetrically.
If the uvula moves to one side, it represents poor vagal tone. If it moves up symmetrically, you have good vagal tone.
If you have an Ōura ring, you can monitor your vagal tone through your Heart Rate Variability score.
Ways To Increase Your Vagal Tone For Better Brain Function And Health
Whether you are looking for support for an acute stressor or you want to improve your vagal tone for long-term performance and health benefits, here are a few ways you can support your body and nervous system’s ability to adapt to stress:
Humming & Singing: The vagus nerve connects to your vocal cords and the muscles at the back of your throat. Humming and singing vibrate the nerve, thus increasing vagal tone.
Deep Belly Breathing: The vagus nerve is connected to our lungs, diaphragm and abdomen. By taking deep breaths, where our stomach expands with our inhale, the vagus nerve will be activated. Try inhaling through your nose for 4-6 seconds and exhaling through the mouth for 8-12 seconds and repeat.
Cold Exposure: The top options for cold exposure are to end your showers with 30-60 seconds on the coldest setting, ice baths, go out in cold temperatures with minimal clothing, or to dunk your face in ice water.
Gargling: With water in your mouth, tilt your head back with your chin up high. Keep your mouth open and gargle until your eyes start to water. Repeat this three times daily. This stimulates the vagus nerve at the back of the throat.
Restoring Health: Recovering from our health challenges plays a major role in relaxing the nervous system. Increasing your daily step count to at least 7,200, balancing your blood sugar levels, putting autoimmune conditions into remission, reducing your body’s toxic load and killing pathogens such as mold, candida and bacterial infections play a critical role in promoting relaxation.
In the next article, we will be going over ways you can maintain healthy habits during times of stress.
Related:
Find a Job Fast: The Job Search Accelerator For Career Professionals
3 Ways To Determine If An Employer Supports Mental Health At Work
5 Reasons Why College Students Should Take a Mental Health Day
Meet The Writer!
Hello! My name is Jessica Lamothe and I am a Holistic Health Coach with a mission to liberate individuals from chronic illness so that they can reach their full potential. Having been on the brink of autoimmune disease and burnout myself, I am passionate about educating about the body’s stress response and holistic lifestyle and nutrition practices which restore people to optimal health. I’d love to connect with you on Instagram @get.in.health
